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At a press conference after a pay-per-view card, Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, usually approaches the stand holding a sheet of paper and reads attendance at the event and ticket revenue.
But U.F.C. 249 in Jacksonville, Florida, Saturday night was not a regular fight card. It landed there after the coronavirus pandemic forced a postponement and a change of venue. Along the way, the U.F.C. had to replace one of the fighters in the main event. And the fight card, the first major professional sports competition in North America since mid-March, was held without spectators, who were barred from entering the arena under guidelines intended to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the disease. caused by the virus.
“The door was zero. Attendance was zero, ”he said. “That is the first time.”
But despite the impact on ticket revenue, White left Saturday’s event optimistic about the short-term future. He has two more events scheduled for Jacksonville this week, Wednesday and Saturday, and White is seeking clearance from the Nevada Athletic Commission to organize fights on May 23 at the U.F.C. Apex Center. In Las Vegas. He presented Saturday’s event as proof that, under the correct guidelines, professional sporting events could proceed safely.
“We can share what we learned here, doing three events, with other sports leagues, who contact us and ask us,” White said at the press conference.
In late April, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert. USA, He said In an interview with The New York Times, it would take widespread evidence with quick and reliable results if sports leagues were to restart their stations safely.
After Friday morning’s weigh-in, light heavyweight Ronaldo Souza, a Brazilian fighter nicknamed Jacaré, tested positive for the coronavirus, the only positive test among the 24 wrestlers who were scheduled to compete. Two months ago, positive testing by Utah Jazz Center Rudy Gobert caused the N.B.A. to suspend his season, and encouraged other leagues to follow suit. But on Saturday, the U.F.C. he simply canceled Souza’s fight with Uriah Hall and proceeded with the event.
Subsequently, White admitted that by broadcasting 1,200 Covid-19 projections to 300 staff members, such as fighters, officers, judges, cornerbacks, broadcast team, ESPN employees, and front-line personnel, such as the U.F.C. Last week, some positive tests were inevitable. But he said the experience with Souza, who was first tested on Wednesday, with a positive result on Friday, showed that security measures were working as planned.
“The system worked,” said White.
Souza’s withdrawal was the second change to the U.F.C. 249 card. Ferguson was originally slated to face lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov on April 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But in late March, when the coronavirus spread in New York City, the New York State Athletic Commission ruled that U.F.C. 249 could not take place in the state.
By then, the U.F.C. was exploring alternative locations but a plan to organize the fighting in California’s tribal lands collapsed when high levels of leadership at Disney and ESPN, the U.F.C.’s broadcast partner, implored White to postpone the card. As the search for a new date and location continued, Nurmagomedov returned to his native Russia and was abandoned there due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
For when the U.F.C. Jacksonville confirmed as U.F.C. Hosting 249, Gaethje had replaced Nurmagomedov in the main event. Gaethje, a former Arizona college fighter who punched powerfully, claimed a surprise victory over Ferguson, a relentless veteran who had won his last 12 bouts.
From the opening horn, Gaethje overtook Ferguson. Gaethje connected his right hands and left hooks with such force that, between rounds, his cornerbacks asked him to reduce power to improve his precision and protect against early fatigue. In the closing seconds of round 2, Ferguson landed an uppercut that wobbled Gaethje, but the horn sounded before he could continue.
From there, Gaethje continued his assault, bloodying Ferguson’s face in Round 3, and landing a debilitating leg on the thigh in the fourth.
With 90 seconds remaining in the final round, Gaethje hit a hard jab that made Ferguson pass out. When he plummeted with a follow-up barrage, the referee, Herb Dean, stopped the fight.
“I put myself in a position to be here,” Gaethje said. “And I capitalized on it.”
For his part, Ferguson said the change in opponents hurt his preparation. He told in-ring interviewer Joe Rogan that he had trained since November to face Nurmagomedov, a wrestling specialist, and that he only had a few weeks to plan for Gaethje, who wins fights with power shots.
“We are preparing for Khabib, not too much for a striker,” said Ferguson, adding: “What can you do?”
The defeat knocks Ferguson down from the front of a long line of contenders looking to fight either of the two biggest draws in the lightweight division: Nurmagomedov or the hugely popular Conor McGregor. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been scheduled to fight each other five times, and each match is finally canceled for reasons ranging from outrageous injuries to a pandemic. After Saturday, White said that the U.F.C. he did not plan to match them for the sixth time.
In mid-January, before the Covid-19 pandemic and after McGregor ended an 18-month layoff with 40 seconds The big win over Donald Cerrone, White said a McGregor-Nurmagomedov rematch, possibly in a soccer stadium, is likely to happen this year. Their first bout ended with a submission victory for Nurmagomedov and a post-fight bout that earned both fighters suspensions. The fight also made a second fight easy to sell.
But Gaethje’s victory and interim title put him in a position to challenge Nurmagomedov next.
